Pointy_kitty
i eat buttons
i have a beautiful 2 year old samoyed X golden labrador ***** that i originally adopted from the spca as a pup
since i adopted her she has been uneasy around men (especially with beards), large hats and large sticks
we would joke that she was once abused by the amish
she is wonderfully trained (by yours truly) and has a wonderful, devoted and compationate yet playful temperment
my family and close realatives see her as a big baby
as she enjoys playing, cuddling and always has to sit on your lap or at least lean against you
this dog is so gentle you can remove toys, even food directly from her mouth without so much as a nip
the problem,
she seems to be so devoted to the family that she is far too over protective
if anyone that is not close family or frequent visiting friends tries even to approach us when we are no longer on our property (or our "territory") she will bark, growl and even lunge forward a bit
this usually giant teddy bear, when approached, quickly turns into 155lbs of snarly wolf like temperment
we had a close call one day when a boy dropped a bag of candy behind her
she usually loves children but because the boy was out of sight and reached for her hind quarters she lunged and nipped
it wasn't a full bite but rather a teensy "nip-nip-nip"
still, a 155lb dog growling and snapping can be pretty tramatic for a child
i now walk her with a halty (simular to a horse halter, only it hangs open unless the leash is pulled) and i always carry a full muzzle in my purse in case we have to pass through a large crowed
the muzzle does not allow her to bark or even nip, but it allows panting and drinking
she is a wonderful dog and as she grows older, her temperment gets better, but she is getting more and more protective
it scares me to think that if anyone in my family other then me walks her, they may not know her body language or comfort zone aswell as me
if she bites one person, she will have to be destroyed
it breaks my heart to have to worry about such a gruesome thing
so anyways
i was wondering
has anyone ever successfuly decreased this?
is there any obediance training that would help, or even better fully correct this?
being a responsible dog owner i would never put this behind me
even if it was corrected
i would still walk her with a halti and muzzle in my purse just in case
but for once i would like peace of mind
i can't just lock her up in the yard and cease all walks
can anyone help me?
since i adopted her she has been uneasy around men (especially with beards), large hats and large sticks
we would joke that she was once abused by the amish
she is wonderfully trained (by yours truly) and has a wonderful, devoted and compationate yet playful temperment
my family and close realatives see her as a big baby
as she enjoys playing, cuddling and always has to sit on your lap or at least lean against you
this dog is so gentle you can remove toys, even food directly from her mouth without so much as a nip
the problem,
she seems to be so devoted to the family that she is far too over protective
if anyone that is not close family or frequent visiting friends tries even to approach us when we are no longer on our property (or our "territory") she will bark, growl and even lunge forward a bit
this usually giant teddy bear, when approached, quickly turns into 155lbs of snarly wolf like temperment
we had a close call one day when a boy dropped a bag of candy behind her
she usually loves children but because the boy was out of sight and reached for her hind quarters she lunged and nipped
it wasn't a full bite but rather a teensy "nip-nip-nip"
still, a 155lb dog growling and snapping can be pretty tramatic for a child
i now walk her with a halty (simular to a horse halter, only it hangs open unless the leash is pulled) and i always carry a full muzzle in my purse in case we have to pass through a large crowed
the muzzle does not allow her to bark or even nip, but it allows panting and drinking
she is a wonderful dog and as she grows older, her temperment gets better, but she is getting more and more protective
it scares me to think that if anyone in my family other then me walks her, they may not know her body language or comfort zone aswell as me
if she bites one person, she will have to be destroyed
it breaks my heart to have to worry about such a gruesome thing
so anyways
i was wondering
has anyone ever successfuly decreased this?
is there any obediance training that would help, or even better fully correct this?
being a responsible dog owner i would never put this behind me
even if it was corrected
i would still walk her with a halti and muzzle in my purse just in case
but for once i would like peace of mind
i can't just lock her up in the yard and cease all walks
can anyone help me?